Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Combined With Iontophoresis to Enhance Transdermal Drug Delivery Efficiency

Cold atmospheric plasma holds significant promise for transdermal drug delivery (TDD) due to its physicochemical effects, including reactive species and electroporation. Herein, dielectric barrier discharge plasma was used to enhance TDD efficiency. The results demonstrated that plasma significantly increases skin permeability, exhibiting a biphasic response to treatment duration, with the diclofenac sodium penetration efficiency increased by four times at the optimal dose of 20 min. Histological analysis revealed that plasma induces reversible skin barrier disruption, providing a critical therapeutic window for TDD. Moreover, iontophoresis was applied following plasma treatment to enhance drug permeation, leading to a sixfold increase in diclofenac sodium penetration efficiency. Therefore, plasma combined with iontophoresis provides a safe and effective strategy for clinal TDD application.